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I went to Narara in ’83 and ’84. Had an awesome time at both. I remember Rodney Rude entertaining the crowd between bands. He was stirring everyone up and as usual picking on minority groups. He was particularly funny on the saturday night because he was picking on all the bikies. There numbers had started to grow in the crowd as the night went on and they were getting ready for Rose Tattoo to come on. Rodney started paying out on the bikies saying they had real ugly (and huge) girlfriends. Rodney said he saw one girl so big she had to roll her own tampons. The crowd roared with laughter and said in unison – how big ?- To which Rodaney replied – she has a honda on her bracelet. And again the crowd said – HOW BIG – and Rodney said – she was so big she had to kick start her vibrator….. just then the bikies were so pissed off a can or something came flying out of the crowd and Rodney had to escape off stage just in time for the mighty Tatts.
HI Dark one… I was there too – My memories of it include the legendary Cold Chisel set that went for something like 3 hrs.. I do remember Rodney rude, buti don’t remember the specifics of his sets – I know he was on a few times during Narara ’83..letm e thin some more on this
I remember Saturday night (vaguely) The night was huge with each band performing exceptionally well. There was only one stage from memory so there was a delay between bands as each one had to be st up after the previous. Rodney Rude was awesome as MC and did a great job entertaining us during each break and did a great job keepng the whole thing moving towards it’s climactic end. Rodny did his thing after an awesome performance by Chisel and as he did there was a second yet very interesting show going on behind him. I’m not talking about a band – i’m talking about the roadies as the set up for the grand finale – Rose Tattoo. The roadies took every speaker they could find from each band and built a wall of speakers across the entire back of the stage. Picture this – one big wall of speakers that streched between the two stacks at each side of the stage!!!!! Making one hughmungus wall of speakers.
By the time the band came out Rodney had whipped the crowd into a frenzy and the band members (please feel free to correct me with details) were all really tall and skinny and dressed in brand spanking new orange overalls. The lead guitar hit the first note and the whole place shook like it had been hit by anearthquake. And then as the the intro of the song was about to change into the first verse Angry Anderson came out and stood centre stage in contrasting white overalls. He was tiny in comparison to the other guys standing eather side but the crowd went ballistic at his appearance and as the roar of the crowd combined with the music Angry sang the first word and then everyone freaked even more. Then it just kept getting better.
The site also needs a section devoted to my number one Aussie band, V Spy V Spy or simply Spys. Undoubtedly the greatest live act from the 80’s in my opinion. Craig Bloxom is such a great guy and his voice so distinct. I am sure there’s heaps of people with stories they could tell from these guys??
I had a little four track studio in a house behind the Oaks pub in Neutral Bay, where Craig did some demos when the band was called RAF.
Unfortunately some of our cabling shielding and earthing wasn’t that great and some of the best takes were ruined by RF breakthrough from the taxi radio transmitter on the block of units across the road.
Snowblind…’Pickup Cremorne Road!’ didnt really work.
With much patience from Craig and the band and some creative editing, we eventually got a demo tape out of it. But we laughed about it every time we met for years after.
But soon after – I switched to live sound!
I was in the Use Your Head video clip (and was the band’s lighting guy at the time of the shoot), funny times…I played a drunk picking up a chic at a bar (played by Criag’s actual girlfriend Wendy). Good times with Pat Picket and Steve Black and the Spy boys.
G’day Brick,
Good to see you on here. Hope you are well…..Reckless.
yeh thats right, just behind Smithy’s original warehse.lol
Jeff, just discovered this site and the first thing I see is some one else who remembers this awesome band. Glad i’m not alone, I still listen to them in my car today and have put many of my friends onto them. Remember great memories from Dee Why. Do you remember them as Four Fresh Lemons? – marlo, sofa etc.
I too worked at Narara 1 and 2.
The fondest memory is that which happened during the storm, Eric Robinson had the hide to turn up back stage with dry and clean clothes on, just as we(Harry P and myself) were enptying a 20foot square tarp that was full of water.
Bad timing Eric!!
Just found website, remebering concert, awesome, also awesome can remeber, was great time, hot on Friday with big mud fight in the dam, 10-15 blokes nuded up , covered themselves with mud and ran down to main stage, awesome, to the chicks that stole mates wallet he said you were forgetable anyway !
My mad teenage years after coming back to Australia from the UK, were spent in Sydney. My first break out from home was to live with my punk bro Garry in Newtown, living with a house full of interesting music mad people was a real eye opener for a 16 year old! Garry worked security at a club called Chequers in the city, and we were blessed to see so many young bands like INXS and the likes before they were noticed. A regluar band was a band called Ward 13, and another called D-Minor and the Discords. Both were great bands for me anyway! I subsequently bacame lead vocals for a band aptly names “The Babyeaters” and we played a few mad gigs at a couple of local pubs.
Anyone remember the band Ward 13 and what ever happened to them? I met them also at the Manzil Room at the Cross…or was I dreaming?
Andrew ……… and all …..some memories here …… I seen D minor play at the Jolly Frog hotel in Windsor (supporting The Mentals i think) ….. lead singer had a painted face and was a bit of a spinner !! LOL
and then there was Chequers!!! I remember going to the re-opening and the bands that night included Ward 13 and The Angels !!! There was beer strike on at the time and we had to drink imported NZ beer …….. fantastic night!
Cheers
Doc ……. who now lives in Darwin and enthralls the “youngies” with my tales of “The Days”
A band called “Latis” shared the stage with Ward 13 and Dallymore in 1979 at Rags, formerly Chequers. Latis became Peculiar Clerk shortly after and played with them again at the Comb and Cutter in 1981.
it was a long story but in short wrong record label at the time
does anyone remember my old band ‘LABRATS’ ? FROM 88, 89. WE SUPPORTED hitmen, x trilobites n a few headliners as well. would love to get the mad buggers back together.
We had a Band called Effigy ,i remember coming back from playing the Bellvue Hotel Tuncurry we stopped in at Narara early hrs of morn seem to recall aband playing called Nutwood Rug +2 Blokes having a drunken scrap arguing = pushing each other into a fire it went on for hrs ,while the band played on.Cheers Trevor.
After talking to other members of Band have realized it was Ourimbah Festival early 70;s
Hey Andrew
I too remember Ward 13 the drummer (can’t remember his name) was also so my hairdresser! I used to see them at the Manzil Room often back in the late 70’s early 80’s.
I used to work at Chequers when I was 17 back in the 70’s – I saw Radio Birdman there…..
Hi Valarie, your Ward 13 hairdress drummer’s name was Steve Walls 🙂
Hi Valarie, your Ward 13 hairdresser drummer’s name was Steve Walls 🙂
Hi, just read the note you left last January…you’ve probably been told a zillion times that Ward 13’s drummer (your hairdresser) was Steve Walls. He now has a salon in Leura in Blue Mtns and doing well and fit and healthy (off booze and drugs for years!). I used to (try) manage them…impossible! Fortunately I was also managing Mi-Sex at the time and they kept the wolf from the door…
No need for an answer, just wrote to you for fun.
the drummer name was Steve Walls which now works in the blue mountains
“Valerie Bangles”the drummer from Ward 13’s name was Steve Walls. I actually started the band in the begining with Irish John Arthurs. We didn’t have a name at the time but we had eventually all the members. On Vocals Irish John, me on rythm guitar, someone Roberts on lead guitar, Bald headed Pete on bass. I got the big A in the early stages and was subsequently replaced by Lee who apparently was an early member of Rose Tatto. The band took on a different direction than the one Irish John & I had in mind. I thought Ward 13 was a good band with some nice catchy Tooooons.
I never saw the guys after that. I started a another band called The Commercials which later became the Alley Boyz then eventually ended up as Sticky Fingers The Stones Show. Such gr8 memories of the then very healthy Pub scene LOL.
Does anyone remember Y?4. They were from 60s Adelaide & played at the Carnaby disco. The members were originally from England, as so many band members were because immigration sent them to Adelaide. Colin was the lead singer & they did mostly Hollies songs. They came to Melbourne & played mostly Tenth Avenue disco. They made 2 records. Ability & Keep A Hold of What You’ve Got. Good harmonies like Twilights. I think that ‘s why they didn’t make it big, because they didn’t stand out but they were popular at the time & a good band. Glen A Baker included a live track of them on a compilation album on Rave label. I have these their 2 singles & the Raven track but don’t know how to put them on youtube. I also have a record of Blues Rags N’ Hollers, which is I Just Wanna Make Love To You. Think it’s a Bo Diddley number but I knew it by the Rolling Stones. They were also from Adelaide & played the Thumpin’ Tum disco in Melbourne. Glen A Baker also included their record on a Raven compilation album with a good write up. I’m interested to hear if anyone else remembers these bands, as I’d like them to have their place in Australia’s rock & roll history.
Yeh Mate, Blues Rags and Hollers made their way playing Underground basement gigs like The Cave & Bonaparts Retreat in the bottom 1/2 of Rundle St, The Celler (Run by Alex Innocenti who ripped off by non payment) half the bands in adelaide in Rundle place (which was a small alley next to the Hoyts Theatre complex, The Scene, along with bands like Deep Blue, The Flieswho became The Twilights then Little River Band,Dust N Ashes (Mick Scott on Guitar and I think Bobby Bishop on drums),The Chain Gang,Whistlers Mother, and dozens of other great bands from Adelaide’s early days, as developing musicians we were very privalaged with our scene then, the comradeship between bands was immense,and there were gigs everywhere, but the money was crap, we were broke but we all learned to pay our dues.
Jarragum you got it!,, of course, The Y 4 plus 5 Sided Circle, and Carnaby St and there used to be a great basement gig underneath St Michaels church nr the Childrens hospital.
Also the Three sutcliffe sisters who called themselves “The Cliffmores”, 3 great harmonisers who dragged people to Kommotion Club, St Claire centere, the Scene etc.
blues rags and hollers were one of my favourite bands, was young then trying to jam blues harp where ever i could. my favourite band was gut bucket with geoff gurr on bass the first real long haired muso in Adelaide, and didnt the cops give him a hard time. they played English blues my first intro to john Mayall and i still play it but now on bass with the mice in cairns
Also The Sillouettes who had a brilliant laed singer, Richard i think, he was also nicknamed little Richie.
Also from those Adelaide days,”Red Angel Panic” featuring Rod Tillett, a great guitar player of the time, havent heard anything about him for many years tho’, and the last time I saw early legendary Adelaide drummer Bobby Bishop was when I was with 3 pce outfit Headstone, we did a gig at The Keith Hotel South Aust early 1980 about a week after playing the Ponde 1980 Rock Rage Concert on the River Murray, after the gig Drummer Ray Young, bass Player James Martin and I were walking to the motel rooms when Bobby walked up and said, “hey guys, it’s me, I work on a farm now”, absolutely blew us out.
Hi, like most the other commentors, I have stumbled across this site as well. I’ve had a great afternoon remembering my misspent youth in Sydney pubs in the early 80’s. We spent a lot of time seeing bands at the Sydney Trade Union Club Surry Hills, on Friday & Saturday night. 1 band in particular I would like to find out about are called ‘The Singles’ – unfortunately no success on google. They released a couple singles (appropriately enough!) but no album that I’m aware of – played the Trade Union Club, San Miquel & the Mosman Hotel. Can anybody help? Cheers
Hi all and apologies if this entry is replicated elsewhere but when I entered it elsewhere on the site it seemed not to post successfully
I just discovered this site the other day and have thoroughly enjoyed myself going from page to page reliving some fond memories and seeing there is no shortage of music tragics out there like myself.
I am supremely hopeful one of you clever people can assist with a conundrum that has been bugging me for a bit. I am trying to remember the title and artist for a song for which I can only really remember a fragment of the lyrics.
I am placing the song as about mid 80s and I am very confident it was an Aussie band (although maybe just maybe it was an NZ outfit) responsible.
The lyrics I can remember are: “We were drawn together by an understanding of each other tragedy, you had eyes for him, I had eyes for her, we had eyes that couldn’t see”
If anyone can identify this song and/or group for me I will incredibly grateful! In the meantime I plan to immerse myself even more deeply in this site.
cheers
John
PS Jill thanks for your entry triggering a very pleasant memory. I enjoyed lots of gigs at the Trade Union Club as well and your mention of The Singles really hit a pleasure point with me. I had a vague recollection of them releasing singles on Waterfront Records but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Hi John
Sorry can’t help you with the name of the band but the lyrics do ring a small bell! The below link doesn’t answer your question but you might find it interesting all the same.
http://newswithnipples.com/2011/01/05/discos-discos-when-you-love-me/
Cheers Jill
I replied to John by email but for the rest of you the song was “When You’re Lonely” by “The Boys” from Perth.
🙂
i played The Boys vinyl album only the other day ……. I played their tunes in discos etc around Bris-Vegas in the 81 – 86 years …… loved their style of tune ….the old question though – Wonder what ever happened to them ??
John
I was doing a search for lyrics for this song and found this old-ish thread with a question from you. Hopefully you have already had an answer to your question. But if not, I’m confident the song you were thinking about was “When You’re Lonley” by a Perth band called “The Boys”
The song has nee posted on Youtube. Here’s a link – cheers (great song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_uzq2F_7qQ
Hi Jill, here you go 🙂 http://shotgunsolution.blogspot.com/2010/08/singles-love-of-loves-singles.html
Thanks Sue, really appreciate your help.
I am pretty old, so I have a bit of history in Oz Rock.
My first school boy band was The Shapes InBetween, which featured Mary Jane Boyd on vocals. Few know it (because of her watered down performances on crap Oz Tv shows) but she was one of Australia’s greatest blues + rock + soul singers. I have a few recordings to prove it. 😉 Perhaps I could put these up on the site. Had her manager permitted, she would have equalled any world class vocalist in these areas. We lost her at 40 years old through suicide. Music biz, eh?
I later help set up King’s Lane Studios with Geoff Stapleton (GangGajang) and many Oz legends started there; Gyan, and Peter Blakely to name but two. I later had my gear go to the seminal Charing Cross Studios where bands like Electric Hippies generated.
My later band, ” …ish” released a single “The Armpit Samba” which featured on JJ
and oddly, in the US (Doctor Demento) and featured two members who moved onto the Rockmelons (Bryon Jones and Vince Dale). I later worked with an amazing pianist/singer/songwriter, Grant Arnold, who should have been a star (where have we heard that before) and I still have a catalogue of great songs he has written.
Lately, I have a band called “The Mighty Quim” which plans on being The Next Big Thing (zimmer frame material) and I play in another band, plus I am involved with a very exciting new international media initiative … Smartphone Radio (and beyond).
I also have a dabble with guitars/amps/fx and a lot of songwriting as well as a level of song production.
Man I used to rehearse at Kings Lane, once had to rescue a mr Duff from a beating as he tumbled down the stairs outside. It was a great place to play if I remember right the studios were in previous times ovens for bread baking or something like that?
Hey Gaff .. are you a Gaffey??
Kings Lane studio’s were a regular han for Chrissie Amphlett & Divinyls also, maybe it was in easy reach of you know what, which is why the area became known as Death valley.
I remember the San Miguel at Cammery and seeing the Divinyls on lots of Sunday nights plus regular gigs by the Machinations. One of the best shows I saw there was the Dugites from WA. Also Annie Lennox in the tourists before they became the Eurythmics. The other good venue was the Cremorne hotel and seeing Dave Warner and The Suburbs. What a great era of live music locally.
Hi there,
Am eager to find out information on Melbourne band around in the 70’s called ‘The Heymakers’. They appeared on Countdown and I think ‘The Go’ Show. One of the members (now quite elderly) is quite sick and I know would get such a buzz from seeing any footage of his 15 minutes of fame. Very difficult to get anything out of the ABC – do you have any ideas?